Japan warns Korea over deadlock in free trade talks

Japan on Monday urged Korea to break the deadlock in their bilateral free trade talks, saying failure to do so will prompt Japanese pursuit of a similar deal with China.

Any further steps by Tokyo and Beijing will be a setback for Seoul`s trade strategy in Korea`s bid to play the role of a bridge in the economic integration of Northeast Asia.

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry in Seoul said Monday that Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Kenichiro Sasae delivered this message to Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ahn Ho-young at the ministry in central Seoul.

"Japan has requested the resumption of free trade talks with Korea via various channels, but this is the first time that it officially said it will promote talks with China," a ministry official said.

Free trade talks with Japan were halted in 2004, a year after the talks started, after Tokyo refused to open its market for farm products more than 60 percent.

Japan wished to take strategic advantage of Korea`s promotion of free trade with the U.S. and the European Union and pressure China via the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is known as a de facto free trade deal between the U.S. and Japan. As Korean-Sino free trade talks are showing progress while the partnership remains in the doldrums, voices in Japan say advancing into China`s domestic market via a free trade deal should come first.

A Japan-China trade deal that excludes Korea is a scenario that Seoul must avoid at all costs, experts say. Even a trilateral agreement will prove challenging to Korea because it must compete with Japan for China`s vast domestic market. If Tokyo starts free trade talks with Beijing, Seoul will inevitably find itself in a far less favorable position.

january@donga.com